Proverbs 24:1-34

Our desires tell us a lot about what is in our hearts and where we stand before the Lord.  At times our desires are for things that please the Lord and bring honor to His name, but there are other times that our desires are for that which is sinful and they can get us into all kinds of trouble.  No matter what our actions are, we would do well to evaluate the true desires of our hearts because it will help us to see our hearts and know where we need to grow and how we need to protect ourselves from our own evil desires.  We should constantly strive to develop the desires that will please God and make us more effective in our service of the Lord.

DESIRE GOD’S WISDOM: God’s wisdom will determine the company that we keep because we will not desire to be with evil men that bring trouble on all around them.  Wisdom will help us to establish our homes, strengthen our nations and instruct our communities.  Our plans must be for that which is good and not scheming to do evil our wicked things. God’s wisdom will help us face and be victorious over the adversity that we must, inevitably, face in life.  We will do all we can to spare others from calamity because we know that God is observing our efforts and will reward us accordingly.  Wisdom for our hearts is like the sweetness of honey to our mouths, it will fill all with hope who desire it with all of their might.

DESIRE GOD’S WILL: It is God’s will that justice be practiced all over the world.  Our desire should be for God’s will to be accomplished and therefore participate in all that will promote justice.  We do not participate with wicked men who pervert justice.  We recognize the value of righteousness and seek to keep company with them even though they may be under attack.  However, we do not take pleasure in the demise of our enemies either; we humbly recognize God’s sovereign grace and leave justice in His hands.  Those who practice evil may prosper for a short time but God’s justice is sure so we must never be envious of the wicked.  God establishes authority and we must respect it.  Only a foolish person will try to stand against God’s authorities.  We must be impartial in our judgments just as God is and we must not tell lies in order to persuade man’s justice to go according to our likings.


DESIRE GOD’S WORK: God is pleased by diligence and hard work.  Our priorities should always be to do the work in our fields before we do the work in our homes.  If we make the comfort of our homes to be our priority over our jobs we will find ourselves without homes and jobs.  God is pleased by all of our work as long as it is done for His glory and in His strength.  The sluggard will allow his fields to become overgrown with weeds and his fences to be in disrepair.  This laziness brings instant gratification but the lazy man’s slumber will soon be destroyed when poverty over takes him and all he has will be stripped away.  God is glorified by our diligence in the work that He has given us to do.

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